Mulholland Drive (2001)

Thriller Rated R

If you like movies that work as dreams rather than narratives (meaning you’re in it for the experience, not the dramatic payoff), then don’t miss this conundrum from writer-director David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks). The ostensible plot follows an aspiring actress (Naomi Watts) who tries to help an amnesiac (Laura Elena Harring) recover her

Alone in the Dark (2005)

Horror Rated R

Nearly 14 paragraphs of introductory, explanatory text still couldn’t make sense of this video-game adaptation, which involves ancient civilizations, creatures of darkness, secret government agencies and bizarre experiments on orphans. Oh, and yes, there is a mad scientist. It’s all bad-movie good for a while, then just deadening. With Christian Slater and Stephen Dorff –

Tailor of Panama, The (2001)

Drama Rated R

A jaunty spy movie based on the book by John Le Carre. Pierce Brosnan devilishly tweaks his James Bond image as a disgraced British spy who’s ordered to twiddle his thumbs in Panama, where he runs into an expatriate tailor (Geoffrey Rush) who may be more than he seems. There’s as much winking as acting

Trouble With Harry, The (1955)

Comedy Rated NR

Landing right in the middle of his richest period is this Alfred Hitchcock lark, a curious comedy that neither looks back at Rear Window nor ahead to Vertigo, but rather exists in some goofy space all its own. It’s as if Hitchcock went on vacation, but kept working. Filmed in throbbing Technicolor and expansive VistaVision,

I Spy (2002)

Comedy Rated PG-13

Owen Wilson refined his off-kilter act into marketable Hollywood shtick for this outing. Eddie Murphy, who’s been selling his wiseacre routine for years, welcomes him into the sell-out club, playing a boxer who teams up with Wilson’s dopey spy.

White Christmas (1954)

Musical Rated NR

It takes a stubborn sort of nostalgia to appreciate this holiday-themed musical. The title number may give you goose bumps in December, but the rest of the film is dull enough to induce hibernation. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play Army buddies who have gone on to a lucrative crooning career. They team up with

X2 (2003)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

How much room does a blockbuster have? X2 tests the limit – there are so many mutant humans running around in spandex and capes this Marvel sequel resembles a costume ball – and for the most part it passes. Careful character development in a few cases – notably Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine – makes up for

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Drama Rated NR

"Is the movie corny? Often. Is it moving in the most basic, moral way? Every year we watch it."

Zathura (2005)

Family Rated PG

Any oldest child remembers when things were so dull that you resorted to playing with your much younger brother or sister. Zathura takes place on one of those days, and the best thing about the movie is the way it captures the resignation, rivalry and even glimmers of affection that make up a play date

Alex & Emma (2003)

Romantic Comedy Rated PG-13

A romantic comedy with two opportunities to be romantic and comic, and it fails on both counts. Luke Wilson plays a frustrated novelist who dictates his latest tale to a feisty stenographer (Kate Hudson), while scenes from the novel in progress also feature the two stars. It’s all surprisingly bland considering the talent involved, a